Jadeja, Pujara take India to historic 4-0
India knocked off the 155-run chase with shockingly consummate ease to win four matches in a series for the first time in their Test history
India knocked off the 155-run chase with shockingly consummate ease to win four matches in a series for the first time in their Test history
Scorer: Binoy George | Commentator: George Binoy
4.10 pm Finally Ravi Shastri kicks things off ...
Shane Watson: "It was a hard fought Test, going into the game this is what I asked of the team. We gave it everything we had. We were up for it, but unfortunately things did not go according to plan with the ball in the second innings. We always thought 150-200 on that wicket if we bowled well was going to be enough ... as I said we just did not bowl as we wanted. Pujara batted very nicely to take it away from us.
"This is really as foreign as you get to playing cricket for an Australian cricket team. It's been a great learning curve for all of us. everyone has got a hell of a lot out of this tour."
After Watson leaves, it's time for the Man of the Match. It's Ravindra Jadeja, for a fine all-round performance. "I did well in this game," he says. "the wicket helped the spinners so I was bowling well. Just wanted to get as many as possible. Unfortunately I didn't score much runs with the bat, but I bowled well in the series. I'm used to playing on such wickets in Rajkot. I was bowling in the right areas and the rest the wicket was doing."
Jadeja credits Ashwin for his bowling performance, saying he enjoyed their partnership.
The Man of the Series is R Ashwin, for taking 29 wickets in four Tests. "Everything has gone pretty well, there were a few changes I had to make after the England series. Very happy at how it has come out. I had to work on my delivery stride, I had to work on it. We had very little time, I was lucky to have a coach to identified it pretty quickly ... I definitely needed a kick on the backside and they gave me one.
"It was quite a tricky wicket for both batsmen and bowlers, I thought Pujara played a terrific innings today. Satisfaction is not something I intend to attain, hopefully I can build on this."
Dhoni comes up to collect the Border-Gavaskar trophy, actually it's the sponsor's trophy now.
"I think it was an important series for us, there were a few changes in the side. It was up to the individuals to rise up and do well. I think they all did it, everybody performed. Almost all the pitches were turning, and all the wickets we batted second, we had to face the bowlers in the fourth innings, we all know how difficult that is ... This wicket I thought it got slightly better I maybe wrong, I thought yesterday was harder to bat on. the new ball did not turn as much.
"Credit goes to every one, the last one and a half years has not been great for us in Tests, but they showed a lot of character. you need to battle it out. That was the case in this series. We get some time off now - no international cricket - and can regroup before the Champions Trophy."
Now Dhoni goes up to receive the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from Border and Gavaskr. His team-mates join him and it's time for photographs and a lot of cheering. It's been rough for India in Tests of late, so they should celebrate this victory, savour it, and build towards sterner challenges in South Africa later this year.
And that's that. The series is at an end. We'll have a lot of post-match and post-series analysis up on the site shortly and tomorrow as well. Thank you for all your emails today and during the course of this series.
Remember, you can Google+ Hangout with Rahul Dravid tomorrow at 2:30 PM IST (9:00 AM GMT). Get ready to spend A Day with Dravid.
I'll leave you with that. Cheers.
3.50 pm Australia haven't lost a series 4-0 since 1969-70, when they were blanked in South Africa by Ali Bacher's team. Dhoni has a stump under his arm as he shakes the hands of the Australians. Pujara doesn't have one yet but he deserves one. He's anchored what could have been a tricky chase with admirable calm.
Kohli and Tendulkar celebrated animatedly on the dressing room balcony. You wonder if Tendulkar will be in a Test dressing room again in India. The next one is a long time away. But, for now, that discussion is for another time.
Pushkar: "I would give Jadeja the man of the match and Pujara the man of the series! Well played - the young India brigade."
shantanu: "Is Tendulkar retiring? Saw him waiving his hands as if a goodbye.. what a wonderful good bye would it be for him.. 4-0.. first time such a scoreline after those Kumble-Raju-Chauhan drubbings back in 92-93." Well he was waving, but that's all it was for now.
Zulu: "as good as Pujara and Ashwin were in the series - And Vijay too. Jadeja has to be man of the series for me. If he didn't get Clarke out so many times the 4-0 scoreline would look a lot different. Jadeja must get MoS"
I'll have the post match presentation for you shortly.
I think I can hear the Kotla chant, "Dhoni, Dhoni ..." The field is in.
The batsmen meet in the middle of the pitch, punching gloves with India on the verge of a historic victory.
Rahul Dravid has said that beneath his understated demeanour, Ajinkya Rahane has developed "real belief" in his ability and is forcing his way to be counted among the leading batsmen in the current India middle order
When cricket becomes a lottery because of the playing surface, it's not fair on the players or the viewers
No one quite knows what the future holds for Sachin Tendulkar, but just in case this was his final Test in India, the Kotla crowd let him know just how much he is adored by the average Indian cricket fan
MS Dhoni has said that while fielding strategies and placements on India's slow, low turners have re-written the conventional textbook around attack and defence, the assessment of pitches and tactics appeared somewhat slanted
As a senior player with a good record from his previous Tests in India, much more was needed from Shane Watson in this series